If you read my post that went along with Rob’s Breakfast Biscuits, you already know the summers in Australia reach high temperatures. Rob and I don’t mind cooking warm food; the problem is consuming food fresh out of the oven or pressure cooker when we are already overheated. Slowly but surely, we are compiling and creating recipes that are better-suited for meals in the warm weather. The next recipe on that list is All-In-One Brown Rice Salad.

Why is this an “All-in-One” salad? Glad you asked. It is so because it should provide most or all of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are necessary in order to eat a healthy diet and maintain health.

Mushrooms are important because they provide the most unique nutrients. Many nutrients found in mushrooms and fungi are not present in any other food group. While mushrooms have many benefits, the most prominent benefit of eating mushrooms regularly is a significant decrease in risk of developing cancer.

Onions and garlic are the alliums for this recipe. Not only do onions and garlic provide taste, they provide many health benefits. Alliums are similar to mushrooms in the case that they too lower risk for and fight against certain cancers. They boost immune-system function, provide antioxidants and benefit the cardiovascular system as well.

While green peas are technically a legume, the immature green peas in this recipe also double as green vegetables. Green veggies are the most nutritious foods. Green peas contain significant amounts of vitamin A and K and lower amounts of most of the other vitamins and minerals. Greens are beneficial to include because they reduce the caloric density of the recipe while still contributing many nutrients.

Lastly we come to the red bell pepper. It is not necessary to have a red bell pepper in this recipe, but I recommend choosing a brightly-colored (red, orange or yellow) one not only for the aesthetics but also for the nutrition. While bell peppers are normally considered vegetables, they are actually only culinary vegetables. Botanically, bell peppers are fruits. As fruits, they provide nutrients that are common in fruits. The bell pepper offers large amounts of vitamins C (especially when they are kept raw) and A.

All of the ingredients provide antioxidants and phytochemicals.

Recipe:

All-In-One Brown Rice Salad is a recipe you need to add to your recipe box. It offers nearly all of the nutrients the body requires to function, is delicious warm or cold and is packed with flavor. Don’t regret allowing this colorful, healthy recipe to slip past you.

Reasons to love this recipe: served warm or cold, filling, nutrition from all necessary food groups

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

5 cups soaked/sprouted brown rice

5 cups soaked/sprouted kidney beans

6 cups water/vegetable stock

4 cloves garlic, minced

200 grams brown mushrooms, diced

3 cups frozen peas, steamed

1 brown onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 tbsp dry parsley

2 tbsp fresh chives

1 tbsp cumin

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

lemon zest/juice from 1/2 lemon

black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cook rice, beans, cooking liquid and garlic in a pressure cooker for 11 minutes on full pressure then quick release. While the rice and beans cook, sauté the mushrooms in no or a small amount of liquid until they are tender. As you chop and prepare all the other ingredients, add them into an extra-large bowl as you complete the food preparation. When everything has been cooked and chopped according to specifications, add the lemon juice, zest, vinegar, herbs and spices to the extra-large bowl. Mix the contents of the bowl until the ingredients are combined. Enjoy warm or chilled.